


Adopted Words

by PettankoMoe



Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Adoption, Angst, Eventual Relationships, F/F, Fluff, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Orphans, Yuri
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-03
Updated: 2014-06-03
Packaged: 2018-02-03 06:17:37
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,284
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1734164
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PettankoMoe/pseuds/PettankoMoe
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There was a girl named Ymir who showed Historia the lengths some people are willing to go in order to show you care. She is soon adopted by an American couple and flown overseas where she spends the rest of her life. Due to her new home-life and the the separation from her only friend, Historia adopts the charismatic and benevolent persona Christa Reiss in order to live a role unbecoming of herself. As she attends her first year at an university, she encounters Ymir again. Will she be able to reconnect with her old friend and find a way to accept Historia the way Ymir did years ago?</p>
            </blockquote>





	Adopted Words

**Author's Note:**

> Muhahahahaha! The prologue to what may be a multi-chapter masterpiece is finally complete! Here’s fluff before the real angst happens. It will contain plenty of drama and angst beyond this point.

St. Maria Church (“Unknown”, Germany) — 2002

Hushed laughter rang in tiny hands cupped firmly around their mouths while two children listened from behind the last pew to hear if someone else was awake in St. Maria Church. The congregation room was mute aside from the shuffle of bare feet against the carpeted floor and the occasional snickers escaping between gaps of the children’s fingers. The most compact of the two bounced on her bottom impatiently after five more minutes ticked by. The girl didn’t like how the weird the back of the pew was shaped and hated how uncomfortable sitting against it made her diminutive form. As they sat, time devoured all sense of patience trained the nuns tried to instill in their orphan tenants. The freckled brunette nudged her partner-in-crime, lifting her bent elbow upwards and tapping her friend’s shoulder, upon hearing her friend’s frustration. The cute impatience emitting from her bouncing friend tickled the oldest of the two. After catching a visual, the antics unfolding before her enticed her into increasing the volume of her laugh to make their journey a new level of recklessness. After a lifetime of waiting for any person or noise to ruin their night, the duo lowered their hands with a relieved sigh, and carefully got into position. They pushed their pillows flopped in front of them and adjusted their stolen snacks where they lie in arm’s length. Soon, their bodies dove for the plush surface their pillows created and shared a quick giggle.

There was no sign of them being able to be caught by anyone in the orphanage. All the girls in their room were asleep when Ymir last checked. She expected Mikasa or Annie to wake up when she and Historia were searching for their things awhile ago in the dark. The creak of the bedroom door had the habit of luring Annie out of sleep too like every thunder clasp, random sound, or spooky laugh the girl might have heard that made her such a crybaby at six. Sometimes, even Sasha’s sleep-talking brought that girl to tears. Mikasa does have the right idea to mind her business when it doesn’t involved her buddies. Ymir wasn’t too scared Mikasa would’ve done anything to mess up them up. Though, Ymir didn’t like the potential knowledge that anyone other than the one person who was invited to join knew about this nightly adventure.

“Ymir, what time is it?” Historia asked curiously.

Ymir pushed the side button on the glow-in-the-dark watch she won off of Jean in “Go-Fish” and swallowed a shout of glee as the timer on the seconds reached zero and added another minute to their time. “It’s 10:15. We’ve officially stayed up an hour and fifteen minutes past bedtime!” She giggled and grinned smugly. Their constant naps during the day paid off!

She carefully flipped the switch of their flashlights on so they can see better then flopped back onto her stomach. Dragging over a bag of chips, she waved them in Historia’s face to grab her attention.

The younger girl stirred from the sudden rustling and looked at the processed chips hanging before her illuminated by the flashlights. She smiled from ear to ear in the first minute, but when she eyed the bag after reaching for it, the child blinked in confusion at her own actions.

The younger’s brows furrowed anxiously, and soon, her smile trimmed into a thin uncertain line. After a minute, her arms fell on her pillow. Her baby-fat fingers twitched slightly with childlike need as her doe-shaped eyes stared at the bag of potato chips longingly.

Salt & Vinegar flavored chips were hands down one of her most favorite snacks to eat, and she hated how some of the workers bought snacks then locked them away from the kids. Ymir promised to steal the chips for her after catching Historia staring at it from the bag of groceries brought earlier today. Ymir even suggested having a night picnic to celebrate. It was taking Historia every fiber of her being to wait a few more minutes before opening their prize. If she broke the seal now, she might keep all the chips for herself. It ‘a been ages since she last had any kind of chips to eat. The last time she had a chip was when her babysitter bought them when Historia was still living at her house. That was about five months ago…before her mother said she didn’t want her anymore. Also, not sharing a gift with the person who gave them to her was not what nice girls did, but… She wanted them so bad!

Ymir’s eyebrows knitted together as she noticed the contours of her friend’s face shift from happiness to an expression she liked to call “Historia’s sad thinking face”. She didn’t like the way Historia seemed to be troubled by things that kept her from having fun. She had been planning a way to make Historia happy for weeks. Since the first moment she locked eyes with the sullen-faced blonde five months ago.

It was difficult for her become Historia’s friend at first. Historia was really quiet with everyone at the orphanage and preferred playing by herself. Ymir’s persistence paid off after they shared their first conversation—maybe—a month since Historia arrived to St. Maria. The six year old was sitting by herself in one of the back pews staring at the people in the stained glass windows (like the way Historia stared at the chips now).Then she asked Ymir if she understood anything about the pictures in the glasses. All Ymir could remember was the quick shine in Historia’s eyes when she made-up completely incorrect stories for all of them and the color of Historia’s eyes as she hung on every word. In her opinion, their brilliant blue was prettier than the multi-colored windows her friend idolized all the time.

“Here,” Ymir said after ripping into Historia’s chips and them to her purposely. The opened mouth glanced up at the blonde girl invitingly almost wanting her to take a bite.

“We can’t be out too late or we might really get in trouble.” Historia continued to examine the bag emotionlessly while the aroma of salt and vinegar teased her nose. Giving in to her tastebuds’ whimpering for treats, she grabbed a messy handful from the large bag then silently motioned for Ymir to get some for herself.

Silence beckoned tension to taint the air around the snacking pair, making their fun nearly uncomfortable for both of them. Not talking was not how Ymir imagined tonight to be. Tonight was for them to have fun. How else were they going to commemorate their friendship?

Ignorant to remember the napkins stashed in her pajama pockets, Ymir licked the cream carelessly spilled from her filled-chocolate off her fingertips. One-handed, she rose to sit on her knees and faced Historia with brimming inspiration. A steely resolve resonated within the eight year old and with a light clap of her hands. Her friend’s thoughtful digging in the near empty bag of chips ceased and all attention was drawn to her. With lightning speed, Ymir spouted the first thing that comes to mind. “What do you want to be when you grow up?”

Historia repeated Ymir’s question to herself. Immediately after internal ears registered every syllable, the younger girl perked up. She lifted herself off of her stomach and shifted to her knees in similar fashion Ymir was doing. Catching a glimpse of the fire in her friend’s eyes, stroked her need to learn how she can be consumed by this illuminating presence too. “When I grow up, I wanna be a mommy, a school teacher, and a veterinarian. I want to be able to take care of little kids and animals!”

“You’ll be a great mommy, teacher, and vet—!”

Historia added, “And I want to own twenty orphanages so there can be places for people who have nowhere to live or if someone’s mommy or daddy doesn’t want their babies anymore…”

“—When I grow up, I want to fly airplanes so I can be able to go anywhere I want,” Ymir slid in her answer to her own question as the energy drained from Historia’s voice in her last statement.

Historia’s already wide eyes widened in shocked amusement. “That’s so cool! You could go EVERYWHERE ANYTIME! You’ll get to own your own plane and you can be next to birds! Pilot Ymir is awesome Ymir! There will definitely be a huge line for people wanting to be flown around by you!”

Ymir swallowed the nerves knotted in her chest and blushed darkly, not expecting such unfiltered praise from her friend to echo through the chapel let alone her own ears. Her eyes darted from Historia’s gleaming face to the twin lights of their flashlights shining on the wall next to them. Her heart slammed around in her chest like it was about to burst through the bones. She inhaled and exhaled as a collection of a billion emotions rushed on her at once. These feelings had no names, but they might one of these days when she understands why praise from her greatest friend meant a lot to her than anyone else. It was likely because she liked knowing how Historia felt about everything around her that made Ymir prideful.

"When I become a pilot, I’ll fly you anywhere you want for free. Tell me the place and I’ll take you there at your command!"

“Can our friends fly for free too? I’m sure it would be really nice if all of us can go on a trip when we’re older.”

Ymir thought about the answer after a beat. Her nose scrunched up at her reluctance to give Historia what she wanted to hear. Ymir wasn’t the most liked orphan around these parts. She was already taller than the boys, and she had a mouth on her. “They’ll have to ask me for a free ride themselves. You’re my best friend, you know… Oh, let me know if your future husband ever acts like a bastard with you, ‘cause I’ll slug him a thousand times. He better not make you cry either.”

Historia giggled, “I will.”

Ymir’s calmed disposition exploded in a worried self-conscious blaze. Her light mocha complexion heated in a red hue. The confidence hanging in her voice dissipated the more her brain marinated in the statement drizzled over her tongue. “Oh, and if he does what your mommy did and leaves you at an adult orphanage, I’ll adopt you, then you and me will live somewhere together forever… Y-you look cuter when you’re happy and smiling, you know…!”

Silence resumed its order over the children after Ymir nearly swallowed her tongue after bringing up her friend’s situation. Seconds felt like hours before Ymir was given any sign of a response, but it wasn’t what she expected. She wanted to punch herself hard in the gut then throw herself off of a bridge somewhere as subtle sniffles transformed into audible hiccuping sobbing.

Tears gave Historia’s bare knees a glossy sheen as they fell. Her crumb covered hands buried into the hem of her nightgown. Her chest hurt… It was like her heart was ripping in two and gluing back together with steel-plating at the exact same time. Ymir wanted to adopt her? Historia thought there was no one who wanted her. Her mommy didn’t think she was a good daughter. What made Ymir think she was a good person? And if her future husband didn’t want Historia anymore, Ymir would still want her around too? Historia was really plain and she knew she wasn’t very smart like the other girls at St. Maria. The wounds of abandonment were still fresh, and the child was still very confused why her mommy didn’t love her. Historia wished whoever told Ymir that she was a good girl would let her know too.

Ymir didn’t know what to do. She sure as hell didn’t want to make Historia cry. She thought she was doing a good thing by saying nice things. “I’m serious about adopting you because neither one of us should be alone—!” Ymir exclaimed as something slammed into her chest.

Recovering from the shock, the feeling of wetness against her shirt brought her mystery solving to a close. She bit the inside of her lip to keep any empathic reaction to Historia crying at bay and hugged her when smaller arms wrapped around her waist. “T-thank you!” Historia choked out in-between sobs. “Thank you for wanting to adopt me. You’re the best friend I could ever ask for!”

“You…don’t have to thank me…because friends are supposed to want to take care of each other. We don’t ever need anyone else, I promise.”

The main chapel light snapped on siphoning the glow from the flashlight to fill the room with its commanding glory.

The children gawked at each other for a beat before the booming baritone pierced through the church. Ymir and Historia trembled as a familiar cold chill shoot down their backs and roughly picked up their belongings; frantically ran out the back of the pews and in the opposite direction the looming man stood over them. Their hearts weighted heavier than anything their previous conversation would ever be able to; nothing conquered the feeling of fear of what was about to happen them. Priest Shadis was a formidable demon in the church. He was the vile demon to all the princes and princesses. Hell,Ymir was sure he was the source of nightmares for everyone in the church.

“YOU TWO GET BACK HERE! WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU CAN RUN AWAY!”


End file.
